New Zealand A surge to 50-run win

New Zealand A signed off their Top End Series campaign with a 50-run win over Pakistan A at Cairns. Though they batted poorly to post just 222 in 49.4 overs, New Zealand's bowlers turned in an accomplished display to bowl Pakistan out for 172.

Jamie How (48) and Hamish Marshall (38) worked their way around the early damage caused by Mohammad Khalil's left-arm medium pace but the middle order found the going much tougher. Pakistan's spin troika of Adbur Rehman, Mohammad Hafeez and Mansoor Amjad spun a web around the middle and lower order. Bowling slow left-arm, offbreaks and legspin, the three slow bowlers combined to share eight wickets between them and keep New Zealand down to what seemed an achievable total.

However, their own batting never quite took off as Warren McSkimming and Mark Orchard, the right-hand fast bowlers, struck swift blows to leave them limping. Hafeez propped up Pakistan with 39, but when the experienced Bazid Khan and Mizbah-ul-Haq were run out, the writing was on the wall. Orchard returned to dismiss Mohammad Salman (33), the wicketkeeper, while Nathan McCullum finished his quota with 1 for 24.